5 states where kabaddi is played the most

Most of the revered kabaddi exponents, including the many Narwals of PKL and the iconic Anup Kumar, have hailed from or honed their skills in Sonepat

#2 Punjab

Manpreet Singh - Punjab's very own is now Gujarat's coach

Punjab has been one of the states responsible for the growth of the sport in India. It has flourished so much in the Punjabi region that it has now been declared the state sport there.

Punjab has continued the legacy of the ‘Circle Style Kabaddi’ with gusto. There are websites that give out information on how to get involved in the sport, encouraging more youngsters to take up the sport.

There are multiple Youtube channels and social media pages that broadcast the matches and these endeavours themselves underline the state government’s untiring efforts in pushing the sport forward.

The state organizes over 1000 local tournaments every year and has definitely set a benchmark for others to catch up to. No wonder the state has been rewarded with some notable competitions over the years such as the Punjab Circle Style World Cup and the World Kabaddi League.

About the author

Sudeshna is a veteran Indian Sports and International Tennis journalist as well as editor at Sportskeeda. She has an overall experience of over 10 years with top publications like The Bridge, Fox Sports Asia, and gained a keen interest in Indian sports since the 2002 Commonwealth and Asian Games when she was in school.

Sudeshna holds a Master's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. She attends tournaments regularly and being a highly experienced journalist, she ensures she only contacts the correct people from her network for the most authentic information to be put in her articles.

Sudeshna’s favorite Indian athlete is PV Sindhu owing to her big-tournament performances. She also admires Tennis legend Rafael Nadal for his resilience and has witnessed the Spaniard in action at the French Open, due to which, Roland Garros is her all-time favorite Grand Slam tournament.

Neeraj Chopra’s gold medal win at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics made a lasting impact on Sudeshna. She has also interviewed him along with Badminton star Chirag Shetty and several other sports personalities. She has done on-ground reporting on multiple ITF tournaments along with the Premier Badminton League, Asian Boxing Championships and the Davis Cup.

When not using her skills and years of experience in crafting compelling content, Sudeshna likes to read, watch movies and travel.

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Edited by Sankalp Srivastava